Pokémon Heist
by Spartan-938
Summary: Pokémon Heist is the prologue to "Pokémon Rangers", another story that I will be working on that should be out before the end of summer. Heist follows a man named Miller in his attempt to start a new life - and unintentionally setting events in motion.
1. Chapter 1

Timothy Carlow was a forty-one year old, self made billionaire. He owned a chain of profitable Pokémon related stores, and made thousands daily on the various merchandise his company produced. While his wealth was miniscule in comparison to juggernauts like "Sliph Co.", Tim had, as he had described in an interview only a few years ago, "it pretty good". Tim owned yachts, penthouses, even an airship and miniscule submarine which he took on trips to the ocean floor with friends, family and investors. This year, however, to celebrate his forty-second birthday, and his achievement with getting the Hoenn Civil Council to approve his building of a large Pokémon "Super-Center" - which supported contests, tournaments and even living for trainers and their Pokémon with multiple "zones" set up for different styled trainers, and a fast-ship to a large Pokémon themed resort he had built only two years ago – he was holding a huge celebration at his mansion, on his personal island.

This was all located on a few islands between Ever Grande City and the Battle Frontier, and, on a much smaller island, closer to Ever Grande City than the other islands, was Timothy Carlow's private mansion. His forty-second birthday was selected to take place here, where he would open the doors to select invitees and members of the Pokémon community who either had eight badges from a single region or were well recognized in the Battle Frontier and Contest scene. It was for this reason that several particular people were able to get into his party that evening. These people had no interest in his fortune, or his career. They wanted one thing – and it lay within a vault beneath his home.

[-|-]

Heist

{vv}

There was a loud blast that echoed around the crater based city as one of the local gyms walls were breached and turned to flying rubble. A radiant light shimmered on the walls of the Sootopolis Gym, reflected by the ice. Juan, the Sootopolis Gym Leader, smirked at the beauty of his Milotic in the shining light. Milotic gave off the beautiful light of a subtle pink hue in the glistening air. Chips of ice and wall fell across the ice. Milotic let out a cry to signal to her trainer that she was still wounded. Moments ago, a powerful Fire Blast had made contact with her, and had burned a good portion of her middle body. Juan had her retaliate in the direction of the blast with Mirror Coat, a move that turned "Special Attacks" back at their users with a powerful Psychic force.

As evident from the hole in the wall but lack of blood or trauma to anything living, the retaliation had missed.

There was the sound of coughing as a shadow appeared in the dust of the former wall. The shadow moved out from behind one of the broken hunks of ice that had fallen from the ceiling during the blast. As the dust cleared, Milotic let out another loud call and focused on the shadow. If not for her trainer moving beside her and placing a calm hand on her "neck", she'd have unleashed a powerful Ice Beam at the potential target.

"You do know how to be tactful in combat, there is no doubt about that," Juan said coyly to the shadow.

He was replied to with only more coughing as a smaller shadow emerged from the top of the first, and dropped off behind it.

"Extreme Speed has probably saved my ass more times than I can remember, John."

"Come now, be civil in the presence of a lady," Juan said, patting Milotic who shuddered and let out a happy call. "And my name is pronounced "Wha-nn".

"Yeah, whatever you say, Wayne," the smaller shadow said, coming along the side of the larger. The dust finally had begun to fully clear, and the rough outline of the man became visible in the spectacular reflected light of the gym. As the cloud dispersed, Juan could once again make out the large dog-like Pokémon that had launched the fiery attack at his Milotic. It had a mostly brown coat with streaks of black and large puffs of crème colored fur coming off of its legs and neck – this fur also formed the dog's fur.

Juan couldn't help but marvel at how fast the large canine must have been to avoid his Milotics blast. He took a strong stance and narrowed his eyes as the dust lowered enough to reveal the Arcanine's trainer: A tall young man in his early twenties with short cut brown hair and tan skin. His eyes were a fierce yet calming bright shade of green. He stood there in a loose maroon tee-shirt with an open dark brown zipper vest. His jeans had tears from the battle, and his leather brown boots seemed to be beaten and old. The trainer stood strong, regardless of his average height and weight. He looked scrawny at a distance, but Juan could tell the muscle mass was there that likely made him physically strong as well.

"Welp, the way I sees it," the trainer said as he dusted off his clothes and hair, "Is that you're either gonna' hand me my badge now, or alternatively, you and the lady can take the ass kicking I'm about to give you guys if you don't."

"Surely you are joking! You have yet to even faze my Milotic!" Juan called as he sprayed a "Full Restore" on her wounds.

"Miloooooooo!"

"Yes, I do believe the lady agrees. But you may surrender of course."

The trainer frowned and took a few steps back.

"That isn't gonna' happen."

"Then by all means – DRAW!"

Milotic pitched her head back and positioned herself like a snake about to strike, her mouth opening to reveal a gathering blue light.

"Blaze, Fire Blast!"

As the large canine built up an intense ball of fire in its mouth, Milotics Ice Beam had already fired and was about to make contact just before Blaze unleashed the heated star of fire.

The two attacks met in midair and caused a small shockwave of steam and they collided and dissipated.

"Extreme Speed!"

Blaze leapt forward into a dash and then sped up until it turned to a shadow, and then to a barely visible blur.

"Milotic, protect and follow up with a Hydro Pump!"

Milotic let out a loud cry as a veil of green, shimmering light came up between it and a suddenly stopped attacker.

Blaze's head made contact with the barrier and let out a loud snarl as it stumbled back in pain, its eyes shut and nose wrinkled.

It did not have a chance to even see the large torrent of water coming at it.

The trainer called out Blaze's name as it slid across the gym floor before hitting a block of ice.

_Damnit!_,he thought, _we're both down to our last Pokémon and if Blaze goes down I'll have to not only swim my sorry ass back to the shore and heal up, but I'll just have to come back here and waste another day I can't afford to loose..._

He ran to his Pokémon, who lay panting and whimpering on the ground, removing a spray bottle from his messenger bag. "Here, baby girl, here you go. It'll be okay. . ."

He sprayed the purple colored fluid on the Arcanine's wounds. It shuddered and clenched its teeth from the sting, but calmed down as the pain faded and was replaced by a soothing numbness. It moved one of its large eyes to look at its trainer.

His trainer, looking relieved, lean towards the large dogs' ear and whispered; "We need that badge. Bad. I want you to use Double Team, move so fast they can't even pretend to know where you'll be, then, use Extreme Speed to vent some fire in a bunch of different areas. Try to keep them confused. When Milotic tries to attack, evade it, and then bite right into that snake's neck."

Arcanine seemed to consider the orders, but then determinedly stood back up – much to Juan's chagrin.

"I admire you and your Pokémon's spirit! You have brought everything you've had with you here today. But this battle has gone on long enough. No matter what trickery you impose here, you will not win, and you will never challenge the league."

"I don't want the damn league."

"What?"

"I don't want to challenge your little league. The Hoenn Elite Council can suck it. I just need that badge you have."

"For what reason?"

"Does it really matter? I need it."

"Without knowing your intent, I'm not sure I should relinquish this ba-"

"Blaze, end this."

Juan pointed forward towards the large canine as it sped back and forth quickly, the shadow of where it once was appearing to be another. Milotic fired an Ice Beam at where Juan pointed, but there was nothing there. The blast kept going until it hit a wall, which quickly froze. The Arcanine lept forward into a run and disappeared to the naked eye.

"Protect, Milady!"

Milotic threw up another defensive barrier but to no avail – no attack came. Instead, burst of flame kept appearing all across the Gym floor, giving the appearance that the air itself was beginning to catch fire.

"Miloooooooooooooooooooo," Milotic cried, unleashing an un-commanded blast of Ice, shifting its aim to try and hit the multiple bursts of flame.

"Blaze, snap that bitches neck with a Crunch!"

As Milotic's Ice Beam finished and it began to close its mouth, Blaze the Arcanine came out from hiding behind her, jaws wide open, slobber trailing in the air behind it.

Juan's eyes widened in horror, unable to react in time – and he would have lost his Milotic, had a Hydro Pump from beyond the frozen arena knocked the Arcanine aside like a ragdoll in midair.

The trainer looked up at the source of the Hydro Pump with rage but then was silent when he saw a man with light blue hair and a long white cape flowing behind him, his own Milotic "standing" beautifully in the light of the Gym.

"That," Wallace said, marching forward across the ice and snow, his Milotic trailing behind him, "is enough. I am Wallace, the former Sootopolis Gym Leader, and current reigning Champion of the Hoenn Elite Four."

Juan knelt and bowed his head a little before looking back up and recalling his Milotic.

"Wallace, my protégé! It is good to see you again. Thank you."

Wallace approached the middle of the floor between Juan and the trainer. He took a questioning glance at the young man before turning to his former master, smiling.

"It has been a while, Juan! I am glad to see you have not lost your talent for battling. I bet the hole in the wall there is your work," said Wallace, gesturing a hand towards the gaping hole.

"Yes, it is. Sorry, Milotic's Mirror Coat doubles special attacks power, as you know, and, well, that trainer there had attacked with a particularly powerful Fire Blast."

Wallace turned back to the challenger, his face forming another suspicious look and scowl. The challenger looked somewhat frightened, but more so of Wallace's Milotic than him. Wallace determined keeping Milotic out was pointless. He'd kept her out in the even this man had been a "Team" operative, trying to kill a Gym Leaders Pokémon. But if that were true, then the man standing before Wallace would no doubt be much more frightened and fearful of what Wallace would do to him, than his Milotic. As Teams Aqua and Magma had learned in recent times, becoming more violent themselves the past few months, had forced the H.E.C's hand. Wallace's coat had become notorious among "Team" Admins for being quite absorbent with blood.

"Milotic, return. Trainer, you'd do best do the same with your Pokémon. Milotic held nothing back and I wouldn't be surprised your much weaker Pokémon cracked a few ribs.

The trainer immediately bolted for his Pokémon, removing a hardened syringe from his bag and a bottle of dark blue fluid. He stabbed the syringe into the side and pulled in as much of the liquid as it'd take, and then injected the substance into his Pokémon's sternum. His Arcanine roared and curled up as its trainer called it back into its Poke ball.

Juan stood and tossed a small metal badge at the caring trainer.

"You would have won, there. Baroque as you were, you would have won. Take that badge and leave here."

Wallace toke a step towards the trainer and narrowed his eyes.

"Before you leave, trainer, tell me . . . who are you?"

The young man clipped the ball to his belt and looked back at Wallace.

"Call me Miller."


	2. Home

It wasn't unnatural in the Hoenn region, to see smoke coming out of Pokémon made chimneys in the Earth or from trees. These were known by younger trainers as "secret bases" – hidden places where young trainers could get away from the world or their home. The police forces of Hoenn often had to use Psychic's or Psychic type Pokémon to find run always in large forests or caves. There were also ghost stories and rumors, stories of children who'd gone camping in their secret base but died in a cave in – those who had started a fire in a tree they'd hollowed out but forgot to put it out. Some of these stories, as Hoenn's Police force knew, were far from fiction. This led to a bureaucratic take of the move "Secret Power", with trainers under the age of thirteen needing special permits to use it to make a "secret base", and if they did, they had to register it in a database.

This, however, did not apply to all. What children called "Secret Bases" (And parents called a nuisance), older, more mature trainers, or even just runaways and miscreants who'd left society for whatever reason, called "Home". It's in one of these "Homes", that Miller had lived in since he ran away from his first home, six years ago, at the age of seventeen.

[-|-]

Heist

{vv}

Miller's upbringing had nothing to do with why he ran away. He had loving parents, a caring cast of friends at his school, and had little to no reason to be dissatisfied with his life. Growing up in Rustboro City, Miller never really knew what an adventure was. He grew up watching cartoons about young trainers throwing their cautions aside and breaking free of the bonds of school and family – living with Pokémon and training to become stronger and stronger. Miller had read many books about different stories, legends. Miller had spent his entire childhood observing adventure. When he turned ten, his grades were nowhere near good enough for his own Trainer I.D. His parents, while supportive, did not help him much to do what he needed to, as they were busy with work, at the old "Devon Goods" building.

After having his dreams crushed, he began to go spectator at Rustboro's gym, at that time run by Leader "Grimes". Grimes used Fire-Type Pokémon, and had a real talent with them. He also taught a young protégé named "Roxanne", who was the top student at Miller's school. She was a year older than him, but she drilled hard in their exercises and had her own Pokémon. The whole city was proud of her. Miller had no feelings of envy, however. He went to watch her train because he found himself infatuated with his idea of adventure and he did not let the fact fate had chose someone else over him get in the way of experiencing it. As Miller aged, he found himself not only enticed by how she was living his dream, but by how she was moving with the strength and authority that even Grimes had.

When Miller was thirteen, he managed to get his Trainer Card, and was eligible to get his first Pokémon. He immediately wanted to go catch his own with his bare hands, like some kind of conquering hero, but day after day of trying, he found himself more beaten and bruised. This was made even more painful because of the pressure his parents were being faced with at work, down the main street. Thing eventually came to the point where they lived at the company on-site apartments, and he was allowed to live home alone. Once a week, his parents would bring home groceries and spend a day with him, and if they were lucky, two. It wasn't until one day, when he was fourteen, that he finally caught his own Pokémon, with his bare hands – a Growlithe he nicknamed "Blaze".

Things went well for Miller. During his time as a fourteen year old, and then fifteen years old, he caught a few more Pokémon and traded some with others at his school. Miller began to mature and took a bit of a more challenging look at the world, with growing ambition in his heart. He decided he'd wait until he graduated from his academy at the age of eighteen to challenge the world and beat the Hoenn Elite Four. He became a more outspoken student and had his own views of life that he made clear. His friends were good kids and they never got into much mischief. When he was sixteen, Gym Leader Grimes retired and let Roxanne take over. She was allowed to graduate early from their academy, which made Miller proud. He respected her as a peer and as a fellow trainer, and as he realized, he respected her in a way more than that. Eventually, he came to find himself training with her at her gym once a week, speaking with her and learning from her.

He soon found work as a Gym Trainer, taking on challengers who'd come to face Roxanne. Once they beat two other students and then him, they could face Roxanne. Some people who'd battled the Gym walked away claiming that fighting Roxanne was a cake-walk compared to Miller. It wasn't long after his induction as a Gym Trainer that his parents came home one night with news; Devon Stone was selling the "Fossil Resurrection" division to "Carlow Futuristics" for a very large amount of money. They would be moving to Lilycove City and continuing their research at the CF main R&D facility. Immediately Miller began to protest his going with them, using points like his age and job as reasons he should be allowed to stay in Rustboro City. His father, while kind, made it clear that Miller would be going with them. Miller was sixteen and still being told what to do by his parents. Some of the trainers who came through the gym were ten years old and allowed to roam the country at their discretion.

A week later, Miller and his family arrived in Lilycove.

It wasn't that bad, Miller realized, but it was still frustrating. The city was always active, even at night – something that bothered Miller profoundly. At his school, he found that most of his peers assumed superiority over each other and seemed to represent who was popular with whoever shared their almost unanimous opinions. Miller hated it. He was constantly picked on for being a former Gym Trainer, accused of being weak and unable to do well – else he'd have stayed in Rustboro. His explanations that his parents dragged him only egged them on. Eventually, as his parents worked, rarely visiting home, Miller learned to grow contemptuous of his peers and got in many fights. The school did not allow Pokémon, so most of the time they were physical fights between him and other students.

One day, Miller decided he was done with school and asked his parents if he could work at Carlow Futuristics. After some arguing and discussion, Miller convinced them. Miller worked for Carlow for two months before he was invited to a company party at the local museum. The museum had cleared out several rooms of artifacts that the company's C.E.O had collected over the years.

It was a somber night.

Days later, he had his Seventeenth birthday. Two months after that, he ran away.

Fortree city was a quiet and relatively small city in a large forest. There were many homes and small businesses built into the trees and more recent and modern homes and businesses were built on the forest floor. Because of the thick tree canopy, covering the city in a cool shadow, no one saw the large brightly colored Tropius flying directly over it.

One its back was a twenty-three year old man lazily shinning a blue piece of metal resembling three water droops falling. He sighed and looked down on the green forest while patting his Tropius's neck.

"Daisy, you sure you remember where home is?"

"Daisy", the brightly pigmented Tropius let out a happy cry and began to fly lower. The Tropius was a special rarity that was colored different than other Pokémon in the world.

As the Pokémon flew lower towards the forest, a small but noticeable clearing in the tress could be seen. Daisy flew closer and closer before beating her large leaf-like wings and descending into it.

When Daisy landed on the floor of the "Secret Base", Miller jumped off of her back and patted her head as she leaned down. She made a happy sound and trotted off towards a large grass bed to sleep. Miller called out all of his Pokémon and patted each one plenty before letting them off to go rest from their intense battle with Wallace. Miller turned about in the "Loft" and admired his tough Pokémon. There were three levels to "Home". This was the highest one. Miller's tree top home was made using Pokémon moves and some help from locals in Fortree. It was large, with a few rooms, and even built in plumbing. Miller admired the intelligence of Fortree's contractors.

The Loft was home to Miller's Pokémon as well, who stayed in a large room with a retractable sheet metal ceiling. The Loft had only the large room, Millers private room, and a storage room for emergency supplies and a small closet like room that had only a ladder in it.

As Miller climber down it, he thought about the badges he'd been collecting. He only needed one more for his plan to go through.

When he reached the bottom, he found himself inside of another small room like the one atop the stairs, the only difference being this one had only a caves stone and wooden braces for walls. He opened the door and stepped into the actual "Base". The Base was a two-leveled cave system that Miller and his friends Pokémon had hollowed out. They then spent a good year or so installing furnishings and making it habitable and comfortable. It was essentially an underground bunker that linked to Millers Loft and a hidden entrance on the forest floor.

On a couch in the "living room", facing a still running TV, was a young women in a grey long-sleeved tee-shirt and her panties – sleeping with an empty soda can in her hand.

Miller scoffed and walked over to the light switch, hitting it and illuminating the dark cave. It was not unlike caves in other Secret Bases, just with additional supplies.

The women shifted and dropped the can, lazily opening her eyes and sitting up on the couch.

"I'm back," Miller said disdainfully, placing his new badge in a bowl full of different Hoenn Badges.

"Ow, you bitch…those lights are bright," the women said, rubbing her eyes and reaching for an unopened can of soda.

"Ally, you were supposed to be out getting our gear for the job. Have you been sleeping all day?"

"Hey, you said we got a week. I worked my _ass_ off yesterday getting the damn Sootopolis badge."

"Yeah but I just got that today and I still got stuff to do!"

Ally looked at the soda in her hand and quickly held it to her mouth and drank down half in a few large gulps.

"There'll be time tomorrow. You ain't my mother."

Miller sighed and walked down a corridor to a wooden door with the circular imprint of a Beldum's "foot" on the door. Miller knocked with his knuckles and waited.

"What is it, Miller," a voice from behind the door said.

"I got the Sootopolis badge. Ally is getting the gear we'll need tomorrow. How's your job coming?"

The door opened – a slim but tall young man (His voice contradicted what his body said about his age), with uncombed brown hair stood in the doorway. He had a large belt slanted across his waste with his Poke balls on it, but barley supposing his pants which slid down a little showing his boxers waste band. He wore a loose black shirt and was sucking on a Cheri Berry lollipop.

"Davey, you got it ready yet?"

"Yeah, I got it ready enough. Paint's still drying. I've got to say, this is my best forgery yet. I think it belongs in a museum."

"Well, lucky for you that's where we're putting it."

"Yeah but for one bloody guy to look at. I've spent months on this thing and only going off of what you've told me and what the texts about it describe."

Miller smirked at Dave. They'd been friends only a few years but they were close. Miller trusted him a little more than anyone else. Dave stepped back and ushered Miller in. As Dave shut the door and locked it, Miller walked towards his work bench. On it was a beautiful flute, made from Corsala coral. It had been painted a beautiful violet with one end where one would blow in painted crimson. It was a perfect recreation of what some called the "Azure Flute".

Dave came up behind Miller, putting a hand on one of his shoulders.

"Bet a Ditto couldn't do better."

"Yeah, yeah. You're a real genius. When that dries, wrap it up and then go get a suit. Parties in six day," Said Miller who was looking just past the flute, already contemplating what he was going to do next.

"Miller, if I'm going to be training and working on the gear Ally gets, and Ally will be busy…doing whatever she does, what are you going to be doing?"

"I still gotta get my last badge."

"Oh come on! You took your sweet time of a week trying to get the Twins' badge and now you've got to cut into our prep time for it. Bloody smooth, Miller. Mind telling me what badge you still need?"

Miller sighed and turned to leave. He walked out to the corner of the main cavern that was their living room and stared at what Ally (Who was already back asleep) had been watching. It was the Poké-vice channel in which gym leaders would offer their commentary on how to raise Pokémon. Miller sighed as this week's guest panelist stepped to her seat.

Dave, who had followed him, looked at his face, then the screen and sighed almost in unison with Miller; "Bugger."


	3. Roxanne

Team Aqua and Team Magma were jokes. Rhymes and stories about the follies of the Hoenn Teams were common on playgrounds. It was highly known that Aqua and Magma had views on expanding the ocean or land but it was viewed as a joke. Almost every single time when one team gained an advantage in some way, or was doing something totally dangerous, the opposite team would show up and defeat the team that had been there first, leaving one weak team for Gym Leaders or Police to battle, while the other defeated team stood by in handcuffs. Any time where a team was beginning to prevail _and_ hold back the other team, the Hoenn Elite Council would step in, sending Gym Leaders, or, if necessary, themselves, to put down any combatants. Something particularly interesting about this was the fact that because of Team Aqua and Magma's actions being that of terrorists, the H.E.C had no qualms with deadly or unconventional battling.

Luckily, there had been plenty of time for the H.E.C to get used to using Pokémon for war. Only one year before Millers birth, the Elite Four's private Military-Police, the Rangers, had put down the "Orre Rebellion". It was during this "Rebellion" that the world first really saw the horrors that could be brought with Pokémon and those cold hearted enough to abuse them and their true power. It was for this purpose the H.E.C was so brutal when it came to fighting the Hoenn Teams. There was to be no negotiation with terrorists. It was to prevent war.

Unluckily, however, Team Magma and Aqua used propaganda to lure in young minds with delusions of grandeur. This varied from Pokémon trainers to young runaways in the forests, mountains, and oceans of Hoenn. It seemed that, no matter how much negative publicity there was of the Teams, they could always bolster their ranks.

When Miller ran away at the age of Seventeen, he tried to stowaway on a private shipping boat that was supposed to be heading to Sootopolis.

[-|-]

Heist

{vv}

Miller was used to being beat pretty badly, so he didn't react much when the large man dragging him by his wrist threw him down on the floor. His right eye was beginning to swell from a punch the man had landed on him when he'd been discovered sleeping behind a crate. The man, after stunning him, had immediately called out what he'd found on a walkie-talkie and dragged Miller out of the hold, the boat, and then into some cave. The walls reflected the shifting light of water, and the floor was a tile like the kind inside of the pool room at his school gym.

He struggled to stand up, but felt a painful blow on his back that immediately pinned him on the ground. He could feel the weight on his back shifting – it was the large mans boot.

"Hey, James," the large man called out with an accent. " I got y'er intruda', wan' me to take care of 'em?"

Miller struggled to look up and spotted a young man walking through a chrome automatic door.

"Matt, don't be so rude. We don't even know if this young man is a spy or not," James said in an amused voice, stopping just before Miller and looking down at him with a slight smirk.

"I'm jus' saying', boss. He prob'ly is."

James looked up into Matt's eyes and glared sharply, taking an authoritative tone; "And I'm just saying that you should take your boot off of him and get back to unloading the new equipment."

"Fine."

"Fine?"

"Fine, _sir._"

Miller heard the large man named Matt make a loud 'oomf' sound and stumble back off of him. Miller didn't moved but could hear Matt groaning behind him.

"Your sarcasm has been noted, Matt. Take my ability to bring you down with a single gut-punch as an example as to why you should not let your Pokémon do everything for you."

As Matt hobbled off clutching his stomach, Miller got up onto one knee, and then rose to look the man who'd helped him in the eyes.

James had a kind and pale face, with sharp looking silver glasses resting on his nose. His small, friendly smile put Miller off. He'd seen this face at school – it was one of deception. People who'd pretend to be his friends just to pick on him later. James had a face that had not represented kindness to Miller since he left Rustboro.

"So, what brings you to our lovely base?"

Miller looked about, getting his barrings on his surroundings. There was a large steel door that lay just behind the boat which was docked against the tiled floor. There were windows near the ceiling and metal catwalks leading from doors beside them across to the opposite side. Miller only spotted two more doors in the room's one sleek metal wall: the one that James had come through, and a much larger one that bore the sign "LOADING" beside it.

Miller finished gazing about the room and looked back at James.

"Your Pokémon built this?"

"Well, they helped. It was really a coordinated effort on all of our parts."

Miller looked at James puzzled but then recoiled from the sharp sting of the bruise on his right eye. He clutched it and clenched his teeth.

James gave a wider smile and gesturing a gloved hand towards the door he had come through.

"We have a fairly decent medical facility down here. Why don't we take care of your eye before we talk?"

A Year Later…

Now Eighteen years old, Miller was a high level grunt in Team Aqua. So far, he'd enjoyed his time with the group. He was finally experiencing adventure he'd been craving, and was learning how to fight whoever challenged him. He was allowed by Admin James to keep his Arcanine, on the condition that if he ever messed up or betrayed Aqua, they'd take it from him – something he'd never let them do. One day, Miller was transferred with his Admin, James, to a training facility in a hollowed out cove near Dewford Town. He was to sit in on lessons and assist James in teaching new recruits the doctrine for Aqua handed out by Archie, their leader. One day, with no warning, Archie himself showed up. Immediately James saluted him when he entered the room, and Miller did the same. The recruits in that current class saluted but not with as much enthusiasm or respect.

Archie looked around the room and then back at James and Miller.

"At ease."

His voice was rough and his eyes narrowed whenever he was about to speak.

They narrowed.

"Recruits! I've come to learn something very interesting. It would seem that there is a way we can wipe out Team Magma once and for all! As I'm sure James has taught you, they are our most pivotal threat. Not the Elite Four. Not the Gym Leaders. Not the Rangers. It's Team Magma."

He put a hand behind his back and began to strut around the room, making motions with his free hand.

Team Magma has, as of this morning, become more of a threat than ever before. They have acquired some sort of tablet or…something, which explains a way to both find and resurrect the ancient Pokémon 'Groudon'."

Archie stood and watched the class's reactions. Miller and James stood and kept straight faces. The recruits were murmuring, some talking amongst themselves, others giggling. Most of them were young teenagers. Few were as old as eighteen.

Archie smiled and looked at them, resting his hands on his suits hips. Miller noticed James frowning and taking a step back.

"You know what? I was like that once. A commanding officer told me something I thought was pretty stupid. I was thinkin' 'Oh no! The Orre Rebels might have some Electrodes and Voltorb's! And they're buoyant enough to float?' Big deal. We had numbers."

Archie slammed his hands down on the nearest desk, making the recruit sitting in it jump. Archie's smile was wide and his eyes got narrower.

"See, as it turns out, the lighthouse, docks, town and everything in it, is powered by a small but very powerful generator there, underneath the lighthouse. And, humorously enough, when you connect a specially engineered line between a big enough generator and a bunch of Voltorb's and Electrode's, it boosts their electric yield."

Archie leaned even closer to the young recruit, his face more manic than before.

"We weren't laughing when our invasion had not only completely failed to liberate Gateon Port, but we were also not laughing at how many of us were floating corpses, no more fried than the Krabby in the kitchen."

Archie let go of the boy's desk and returned to the front of the class. He sighed and returned to a more fixed and cold state, frowning at those before him he considered weaklings.

"Groudon is very, very big in history. According to the Arceiests, Groudon was the first Pokémon to really battle another one. According to historians, ancient text and legend says Groudon made the continents of the Earth. While it's implied he isn't the one who put 'em where they are, it is implied he made them and can expand them. If Maxie and his gang of crazies have found a way to bring back that ancient evil there is no telling what'll happen to the environment. Groudon caused droughts and destroyed plant-life. Groudon tried to keep growing landmass out of the Earth so there were no more oceans. This means we have to change our rules of engagement. We can't keep stunning Magma grunts we come across. We can't keep knocking people out. Blood has to be let and I say we make the first strike."

For a week, they trained anew. From Admins to Peon-Recruits, everyone trained.

They would sit beside their Pokémon can chant; "These are my Pokémon – there are many like them but these ones are mine! Without me my Pokémon are nothing. Without my Pokémon I am nothing."

They would learn how to fight physically – disarm their enemy while their Pokémon took on their enemies Pokémon.

And they learned to kill.

{NOTE TO SELF: PLACE DIVIDER HERE}

Rustboro City had not changed very much in the years since Miller had last been there five years back. He was relieved to see no one recognize him as he strolled down a sidewalk past numerous people he could only faintly remember. It almost disgusted him that he had forgotten so much of this city, but then he reminded himself it wasn't his fault.

It wasn't important anymore.

The Gym was still across the street from his former school, and it was still near a large fountain that children liked to toss coins (And during the summer, themselves) in. Miller sighed and winced as he saw children playing in the water with Pokémon. He had once dreamed of doing that.

The city brought feelings and memories to Miller that he was, now as an adult, conflicted with. He no longer felt he could trust most of the people in the city. He no longer felt a child's delusions of grandeur would see them through after school, even with a Pokémon. Though he had these thoughts, he also remembered pleasure he had felt as a child. He could still remember running through alleyway after alleyway, playing tag with his friends and how he would always love watching the sun silhouette the tall Devon Goods building. He thought of these memories until he reached the gyms front door. It was still a sliding glass door, though, now a much shinier one with an engraved emblem of the gyms badge.

He moved aside to the sign beside the door.

RUSTBORO CITY GYM

LEADER: ROXANNE

"ALWAYS TRAIN – ALWAYS LEARN"

Roxanne.

It was a name that held significance with Miller. He had admired the women who held that name since she became a gym leader. He admired her after he left his home in Rustboro. He admired her even as her Nosepass hurled rubble at him during his time in Aqua.

He admired her even as she moaned and shuddered beneath his body.

Miller sighed and put his hands on his hips, looking down at his feet. He took a deep breath and released it before stepping through the glass doors into the gym.

It was brighter than he remembered, and the gym had been redesigned again. It was still a silly maze that Roxanne had concocted. She always wanted to try and mess with people's heads so she could use hers against them. Miller cracked a smile at how it never really worked on anyone but younger trainers.

He strode to the front desk and rang the bell sitting on the desk.

A young-man dressed in a school uniform approached the desk, reading a book.

"If you don't have an appointment, you're going to have to schedule on-"

He looked up. He saw Millers face.

"Hey, have we met before?" He asked, putting a piece of paper in his book to mark his page.

"Nah, just got that generic face everyone else has here," Miller replied in a snobbish way. He still remembered how to humor people who thought they were smart.

"Huh….'spose so. Anyway, what's your name? Do you have an appointment?"

"Uhm, I don't have an appointment or a name to give. I just wanted to see Roxanne for a bit – I'm an old friend."

The boy adjusted his glasses and looked disdainfully at Miller. "I am not going to bother her for someone who's probably lying."

"Aw come on, when's her next battle?"

"Miss Roxanne's next appointed battle is in-" The phone rang. "Dang, hold on sir."

The boy grasped the phone and put it to his ear, turning his back to Miller nonchalantly and leaning his head back.

"Rustboro Gym," he began.

Miller simply turned towards the maze and walked into it.

Miller made it past all the trainers (Who were on their breaks anyway, but might have recognized him) with ease and emerged onto the large battleground in the far end of the gym. Roxanne had placed hints in the mazes to try and encourage people to think so they could get through. Unfortunately, this was another short coming as trainers either just plowed through it until they found their way, or cheated. Miller wondered why she still even attempted the "maze" idea and never just went with something challenging to adequately prepare new trainers.

"Babies," Miller said softly.

A door marked as "Roxanne's Quarters" was at the Leader end of the battleground. Miller walked towards it, glancing nervously at the cameras on the roof above. While they served various purposes, they made excellent security cameras – being able to link up to the Hoenn Elite Council's databases and scan the face of whomever it captured that may be of interest.

Miller was likely not going to get scanned, but if he did, he could already be walking into a trap.

He got to the door and knocked firmly. His heartbeat intensified. He gulped and felt small tears well in his eyes. The rush of emotion from simply knowing Roxanne was behind this door was overwhelming.

"_God-damnit," _Miller thought, "_I'm weak."_

An authoritative but pleasant voice beyond the door said simply, "Come in". Miller closed his eyes to try and blink away the tears. He wiped his face with his hand quickly and grasped the knob. He turned it, his palms sweating, and pushed forward.

She sat at a desk, writing in a leather bound ledger. Her legs were crossed, still draped in the same red leggings that she wore five years ago –_the feeling of them tearing open easily in his hands._

He couldn't help looking up from her legs to her school uniform which covered her lower body with a skirt-like bottom that then closed into the tight blouse over the rest of her body – _the sound of a whimper that resembled the words "Leave it on"._

He could see her large pink bow that held her hair into a strange design he never saw anyone else pull off so well – _the soft feeling of silk as he ran his fingers through her hair._

Miller stopped looking at different parts of her body and then he stared plainly, straight ahead, taking in her whole being – _lying in the bed, stomach rising and falling quickly, her body glistening in the light with sweat and – _"Miller."

She had turned to see him. She looked at him plainly as if he was any other person. She uncrossed her legs and stood, dropping the pen in her hand to the floor. She walked towards him, her lips parted, face devoid of emotion. She stopped just within arm's reach and spoke; "Miller . . . is that-"

"Yes."

She was still void of expression.

"Why-"

"I need your Gym Badge."

The both stared into each other's eyes.

Roxanne slowly closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. Miller opened his mouth to speak but was silenced by a crippling punch to his stomach.

He collapsed to one knee and coughed hard, looking up at her.

"Roxa-"

Roxanne ignored him, making a face of disgust and screaming in her mind a thousand times over.

_MY TURN TO INTERUPT YOU._

_BADGE?_

_YOU LEFT US THERE YOU __**FUCKER**__!_

She reached out, placing her hands on the top of Millers head, and brought his face down into her now extended knee.

Miller's nose broke with a sickening crunch and he yelped in pain as she did it again and pushed him onto his back where he tried to get up, struggling like a Torkoal on its back. He was prepared for her stomping on his stomach, but he still screamed a loud wheeze from the pain.

As Roxanne stepped back panting and glaring at Miller, he rolled onto his knees, on hand clutching his bleeding nose.

"Roxanne!"

"No," she shouted, "I'm not going to even let you talk. On authority of the Hoenn Elite Council I am placing you under arrest."

She reached to her belt and tossed a Poke'ball over Miller and onto the gym-field. It broke open to a blinding flash of light that began to form what Miller thought was a Scyther…but was really a Kabutops.

The ancient Pokémon made a clicking noise and brought one of its blades down beside Miller and looked at him, raising the other.

"Move and you lose your head – not to imply you haven't lost your damn mind to come here."

"I can. . ." he panted, "explai-" he gave a loud whooping cough and drooled on the floor beneath him.

Roxanne pointed accusingly at Miller with tears rolling down her soft cheeks.

"I should've told them about you. I should've called in a former gym trainer as an Aqua grunt. But no, I took the benefit of the doubt. You were covered in vomit and looked regretful and non-combat effective and, and, and . . ."

She swore angrily and loudly. She walked back into her office and keyed the gyms P.A system.

"Everyone go home. Max, cancel all my appointments. Leave."

She turned back to Miller who had rolled onto his back again. She saw that he was crying.

"What! You're crying? You're seriously crying? You just show up five years after leaving and demand that I give you a badge and I kick you a little and you're _crying_?"

"I didn't demand anything!"

"Shut up! _Shut up!_"

Miller took advantage of her being distracted and pressed the release button on one of his Pokeballs. A white light shot out from his waist to the left of the Kabutops and formed a Machamp. It only took it a few seconds to realize the situation and tackle the Kabutops. The Kabutops made a furious clicking sound and tried to swing its blades at its attacker, but Machamp held them down with one of its pairs of arms, and with the other, repeatedly punched the Pokémon.

Roxanne swore and threw another Pokeball. It released a spherical rock like Pokémon that supported itself on short legs.

"Golem, Rollout and get that damn Machamp off of Kabutops!"

"The Golem leaned forward and tuck itself into its rock-shell, rolling forward at a high speed."

Miller, clutching his nose shouted; "Seismic Toss!"

The Machamp leaned back, off of the Kabutops, pulling it with him. Machamp then began to spin around and threw the Kabutops at the oncoming Golem. Kabutops, making more loud clicks, slammed into the speeding rock but bounced off and did nothing to slow it.

Machamp put all four of its arms forward and braced for the Golem.

It worked, but barely, as the Golem hit Machamp. Machamp stopped the Golem but was knocked back and stumbled.

Roxanne began to walk towards Miller who was struggling to crawl closer to his Pokémon.

"Kabutops, blast Machamp with a Hydro Pump!"

Miller looked up to see his savior be shot away by the water attack and slam into a wall. Miller couldn't help but think of how he had such bad luck with that move.

"Kabutops "Battle Armor" ability makes it hard to beat, huh?" Roxanne questioned sarcastically as she kicked Millers back.

Miller coughed again and was be pushed to the floor under her foot. He hesitated to move as her Pokémon turned to face him and come closer.

_She hasn't called the HEC or the Rangers. She wants to fight me. She wants to beat me, _Miller thought. _ Fine. I can use that._

He slowly reached a hand back to his belt and grasped two Pokeball, doing his best to toss them forward. They rolled on the floor and burst open to reveal Daisy, his rare Tropius and Blaze, his Arcanine.

Roxanne stomped on Miller again and sneered at the Arcanine who looked at her and seemed to twitch its mouth like a smile, its tongue beginning to hang out – before it noticed Miller beneath her foot.

Blaze, without command, launched a Fire Blast at her. She yelped and ducked to the side of the blast to avoid it. Roxanne looked up to see a blur form in the air between where Blaze had stood and Miller. The giant dog bent down and picked up its trainer in its teeth.

"Kabutops; freeze that bitch!"

The Ice Beam moved slower than a Shuckle to Blaze who ran around it and to the other end of the gym field where it gently lowered its trainer.

Miller looked up to his Pokémon and groaned.

"Don't hurt her…hurt _them._"

Blaze nodded and looked up to see its opponents.

Daisy had spread her large wings and flew up into the air where it was dodging the attacks of Kabutops.

Roxanne grimaced at the sight of Millers Pokémon acting independently. She wouldn't lose to him, not like this. She threw all the Pokeballs from her skirt out which burst out into a Steelix, Omastar, Aerodactyl and a small Nospass.

Blaze howled loudly and disappeared from sight with its Extreme Speed.

Dust around the gym was kicked up like a hurricane as a smudged red blur flew about the gym.

Miller, across the gym, managed to stand up and shouted; "SHOCK AND AWE!" – _Miller making strategies with his Pokémon as to how they would blow their way into the Devon building in Rustboro. Daisy flying high and then dropping down onto the ground and unleashing its Earthquake attack while Blaze, coming out of Extreme Speed, jumps high into the air and uses Fire Blast to destroy the front doors and any Magma Agents in the main lobby._

As Blaze reappeared, leaping high into the air, Daisy came down to the ground, in the epicenter of all six of Roxanne's Pokémon. It let out a loud cry as the ground began to shake and crack beneath her. While most of Roxanne's Pokémon stumbled or fell, Steelix roared and lunged to come down on Daisy. Just before it could smash its giant head into the dinosaur, a large ball of fire came raining down onto the steel snake. It crashed into the ground just before the Tropius, contributing to the Earthquake. Roxanne's Aerodactyl flew towards the Arcanine in midair, however opening its gigantic jaws and roaring.

Miller did not hesitate scream "Protect". A large green barrier surrounded Blaze as she descended. Aerodactyl evaded the falling Pokémon and made a large turn in the air to circle back for when it landed.

Meanwhile, the shaking of the ground had woken the badly bruised Machamp slumped against the far wall. It struggled to its feet and looked at the fight going on. The Kabutops was down, as was the small snail-like Pokémon which was on its side, its hard shell cracked. A Nosepass lay on its side but it was still wake, just unable to get up. Just behind these Pokémon was the collapsed body of a Steelix that was roaring from the burns it'd received – some of its "skin" peeling from the heat it had been hit with. Roxanne ran to her Pokémon shouting, "Aerodactyl – hit the Tropius with a Hyper Beam! Atomize it!"

The large Pokémon roared and a bright ball of light formed in its open jaws. Daisy the Tropius swung her long head towards the incoming Pokémon and made a loud cry.

"Protect!" Miller cried out.

Daisy curled her head down and allowed a large green shimmer of energy to close around her.

Aerodactyl, having already charged the powerful attack, discharged it at her in rage, hoping to crack through.

The large blast of light shimmered many colors, but mostly a piercing shade of red. The light seemed to both divide around the other Pokémon's barrier like water while slamming it as if it was solid.

Streams of energy whipped around the shield and licked at the floor, charring it.

Roxanne ducked behind her large Steelix to avoid the rogue tendrils of crimson light.

Aerodactyl, now breathing heavily, landed on its legs to rest – roaring with anger at the Pokémon before it.

Miller swung his hand upwards, pointing at the target. He stood strong and ignored the numbness of his face. He did not glare with anger, but did so with determination.

"Machamp – Mach Punch!"

Machamp, who was still standing to the side of the match, nodded at its trainer and bolted forward into a fast sprint. Aerodactyl, who had heard the order, turned to face its attacker, spreading its large wings and roaring at Machamp.

Machamp leaped forward at the Pokémon and took its two right fists back and then brought them forward with the force of a truck. Its punch's landed right into the stomach of Aerodactyl who half roared and half coughed. While inaudible to the trainers distant from the commotion, Machamp and Aerodactyl both felt and heard the bones of the latter snapping.

Aerodactyl stumbled back but held its ground as best as it could.

Machamp landed and stumbled onto its knees from the strain of delivering such a strong punch while injured.

There was a tense pause. All the surviving Pokémon had their eyes on Aerodactyl who was choking on its own dark scarlet blood which became barely visible in the shine of the bright red light coming from behind it.

Steelix was called back to its ball as was Kabutops and Omastar by a despondent looking Roxanne.

She walked calmly to her Nosepass and bent down to flip it back onto its feet when she paused. She stopped moving. Slowly, tears dripping from her eyes and her breath becoming erratic, she grasped her three remaining Pokeballs and recalled Nosepass, Golem, and then looked up at her Aerodactyl who was roaring repeatedly, struggling to maintain enough energy in its mouth to fire another Hyper Beam.

"Just forget it," she said softly.

The Pokémon looked back at her glaring and roared once again, but coarser. It buckled and supported itself with its wings as it hacked up more blood.

It opened and closed its jaws, panting, and roared, a large ball of light beginning to form in its mouth.

Miller calmly grasped an empty Pokeball and aimed it at Machamp.

_It's over. She can't keep fighting,_ he thought to himself.

Aerodactyl's roar was ear splitting as it fully charged one last Hyper Beam. It put all the energy it had left over into the attack.

The bright scarlet beam surged out over its teeth and out its mouth towards the Machamp which, itself, became a crimson beam before nothingness.

The Hyper Beam had been wasted, and Aerodactyl lost its strength, collapsing onto its back as blood frothed in its mouth.

Roxanne silently recalled it without protest and dropped the Pokeball on the floor. She fell to her knees and began to cry, swearing angrily and cursing Millers name.

Miller walked to her, silently recalling his own Pokémon, his boots dragging through blood and broken tile. He had tears in his eyes and in his mind, thought only of what he should do.

He thought of how in the books he read the hero would stand strong and maybe put a hand on her shoulder. Tell her its okay.

He reached her, sitting there, not a trainer or gym leader but a crying child.

He thought about it as she tilted her head up at him, angrily staring into his eyes.

It was then – five years later – that he saw her as something indescribable. Something that he could not possibly put into words to even express to himself.

He knelt to one knee, and then shifted, sitting in front of her on his knees. Her eyes trained on his the whole time.

His tears felt as if they were heavier, coming out of his eyes faster. He leaned forward and embraced her, crying and made a face as if he was sick, whimpering, "I'm so sorry, Rox. . .I'm so sorry".

Miller felt her arms wrap around him as her crying got louder.

_The Police were battling the other Aqua members._

_Gym Leader Roxanne stepped over the rubble that remained of the Devon Buildings east wall and looked down at the charred remains of people who had been hit by the large blast of fire that was launched into the room._

_She heard, amongst the chaos in the lobby, and over the putrid smell of the dead, she smelled vomit._

_She followed the sound of crying and shouting._

_A young Aqua grunt stood over the badly burned body of what had been a woman._

_He caressed her still intact face and looked up into the eyes of the Gym Leader._

"_I killed her, Rox. I killed my mom"_


	4. Harbinger

Five years ago, there was a Team Aqua raid on the Devon Building in Rustboro. The attack was only known to be to steal something – the grunts and admin arrested only revealed that they were supposed to steal some old data. A second admin leading the attack was missing after killing several authorities and escaping with several storage discs from the Devon facilities basement. These discs had not been properly cataloged, and their contents were unknown. An investigation was launched, but went cold after weeks.

It was highly suspected that Team Aqua had liaisons in the media and in law enforcement that were sabotaging it.

The main issue that had kept people reading about the story, however, was not the robbery, but the fact so many people were killed in the attack – totaling at fifteen injured and twenty dead. The Earthquake that had been used to weaken the structure had ruptured an underground gas main that exploded when a Pokémon launched fireball hit the exposed gas.

Among the dead was scientist "Delilah H. Miller" who had been there to inquire (For the sixteenth cataloged time) if Devon knew where her son was.

[-|-]

Heist

{vv}

Miller sat before a lit up TV screen, watching the Hoenn National News. They were doing a fluff piece on a young Petalburgian boy who, thanks to a Devon designed respirator suit, could go on his own short Pokémon journey to Verdanturf Town where he would live because of some illness the kid had. The font at the bottom of the screen stated that his name was Wally and he was only fifteen. The reporter put her microphone up to the kids face and asked him if he had any particular reason he wanted to do this journey by himself with only his Kecleon and Ralts.

There was the sound of him taking a deep breath from his suits mask and he spoke, "I've always wanted to go on a Pokémon journey. When I was little, she said I could because of this suit. Sadly . . . she died when she went to pic-"

The TV's screen shorted and turned black with the rough reflection of someone standing behind Miller in its screen.

Miller turned in his chair to see Roxanne standing in the Gym's Lounge doorway, holding the remote.

Miller couldn't help but admire her in the light of the moon shinning through the window. He had last seen her awake hours ago when they'd parted from their embrace, Miller needing to go to the hospital for his nose. When he had returned, Roxanne had gone to sleep.

"You came back," she said, her voice soft in the darkness.

"I told you I would."

"I mean, you came back . . . after five years ago."

Miller stood and walked to her, taking her in a strong hug. She hugged back.

"I was confused and had to deal with some things. I was a kid"

"That's no excuse," she said, leaning back and looking up at him with a slight glare and venom in her voice.

"I know it isn't, but regardless of what happened, we're here now and I want to make up for it."

Roxanne sighed and leaned her head against his chest, blinking her eyes clean of tears.

"Your heartbeat's calmer than it used to be."

"My hands are cleaner this time."

Roxanne snorted and giggled in his arms before releasing him from her embrace and backing away a few steps.

"So you're a romantic now? Finally learn something from all those books you used to read?"

Miller sighed and swore under his breath.

"Well, hey, I still read!"

"Ooooh, the big bad Aqua Grunt reads still. Hey, did you ever make Admin?"

"I left that life after that night."

"Oh, but at what point afterwards? I'm a Gym Leader and the H.E.C makes me go clean those messes. I've seen what Gang-members do to the ones that leave that life."

"I made a deal."

Roxanne stopped smiling and pouted.

"What kind of deal?"

Miller smiled reassuringly and put his hands on her shoulders, pulling her close and leaning his head on hers.

"It's okay. They let me go."

Roxanne snorted and laughed again and left the lounge, walking to the Gym's maze.

Miller followed.

_She acts differently now, _Miller thought. _I guess it's because I'm here . . . or does she really feel different around me?_

Miller followed the sound of her footsteps until he came to the damaged battle ground. He smiled as she looked back at him.

When they reached her room, she made sure to lock the door behind them. She went to sit on her bed while Miller sat on a chair near her desk. They sat together in silence, looking at each other. Roxanne made that concentrated look she had made in School and back when Miller trained with her.

"Why do you want my badge?"

Miller sighed and looked down nervously at the floor.

"I'm doing a heist job. Not for Aqua though. My own private interest."

Roxanne seemed to glare at Miller but stayed silent.

"You need my badge for a robbery?"

"Yes, Rox. I really do."

"So, you're not back?"

"I am back. But I need to do this or else I'll never live with myself."

Roxanne sighed and joined Millers staring contest with the floor.

"Carlow is hosting a birthday bash with free invites to people who hold eight badges in a few days. One of the richest men in the world who contributes millions in research money to charities and even his competitors Devon and Sliph Co. and you want to rob him? Why!"

Miller leaned back in the chair and looked at Roxanne.

"About six or so years ago, he did something very bad. Something I'd like to kill him for. Instead, because of my confusion and inability to deal with it, I ran away. Joined Aqua. I saw something the night he did what he did, and I know he cherishes it a lot. He took something from someone I cherished and loved and so I will take what he cherishes and loves. He's a bad man, Rox. He deserves this."

"What did he do, Miller?"

"It involves my mom, and that's all I want to say."

Roxanne looked back up at Miller, locking eyes with him. Roxanne knew how Millers mom meant a lot to him.

"I choose to run away from this, and since she died, I've been floating around a number of years, doing odd jobs, hanging out with new people . . . but now I want my own life. With what he owns on my mantle as I live."

Roxanne stood and rested her hands on her hips.

"And what is it that you want to steal from this man on his own birthday because of something he did to your mother?"

Miller stood from his chair and could not help but smirk.

"The flute that can summon Arceus. He has it. The Azure Flute, Roxanne."

[DIVIDER GOES HERE]

[DIVEDERESGKZLGNDR\]

[GRHTRHTDHREDHREH]

In a large mansion, located outside any regional limits, a young woman lay sleeping on a brilliant white bed. She lay in only her underwear covering her breasts and more private areas, rolling over occasionally to get more comfortable. On her right ring finger was a polished silver band with a "C" inscribed upon it. A present from her grandparents.

The sun was rising outside of her home which cast a beautiful shine on her rooms' marble floor. Her long blonde hair shimmered in the light as well, adding to the intense glow her Lucario saw emanating from her. The Lucario stood with its back against the wall of her room, watching both the sun rise, and its friend. It closed its eyes to take in the full beauty of her aura. She was dreaming of something pleasant – something she had before. From the way her aura flared, it was a romantic dream.

Suddenly, an even brighter aura swallowed hers and the room. Lucario already knew who it was but opened his eyes anyway to acknowledge the presence.

"_Even still she sleeps? A curious thing this one, she knows not of what is to be wrought when she awakes."_

It was a large spinning disk of purple light. It had a face, a green one, but a single black swirl for an eye. This Pokémon was "Harbinger", a Spiritomb that had joined with Lucario's trainer five years ago.

Lucario growled and thought its reply openly so that Legion could "hear".

The quiet sound of a hollow laughed filled the room.

"_You are so foolish. Why is it that you cannot sense it? You are just weaker than you look, we suppose. Scrappy little mongrel. We've consumed members of your kind who could read Aura from hundreds of miles away."_

Lucario snorted and closed its eyes, concentrating.

Spiritombs' wicked smile grew larger, and its spinning form increased in width, briefly, before simmering back down.

"_We think – no, we know, you are a tad late, mutt," _the ghostly Pokémon said.

Immediately following that, there was the sound of a phone ringing in the room. Lucario's eyes opened and it immediately walked away from Harbinger to answer the phone.

Harbinger made a quick frown, bored with how Lucario reacted, and floated beside the woman. Its spiral decreased in size, slowly, as if a galaxy was imploding, and then, with the sound of whispering, ceased to exist, leaving only its grey pedestal that bore the symbol of a Spiritomb face.

Lucario answered the phone in another room and grunted.

"This is Gym Leader Roxanne," a young voice from the phone said.

Lucario grunted but softer.

"I need to talk to Champion Cynthia about her findings on 'Origin Pokémon'."

Lucario grunted again and pushed the "Hold" button.

From the bedroom up the spiral staircase, a tired voice called out; "Lucario . . . Is it worth getting up?"

Lucario allowed its own aura to reach out and touch Cynthia's.

Cynthia suddenly felt reassured but still hesitant.

She swung her feet over the side of her bed and stubbed her toe on the obelisk sitting beside her bed.

"Ga- Harbinger!"

She ignored the rock and got out of bed, putting on her nightgown (A soft somewhat see through charcoal colored gown that had been woven out of fine Wurmple silk that had been a gift from Assistant Champion Steven her last birthday).

As she reached her rooms' door, Lucario had returned with the phone and handed it to her. She hit the "hold" button with her thumb and placed the receiver to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Yes, Miss Cynthia, it's Gym Leader Roxanne – Rustboro, Hoenn."

"Good morning, Roxanne."

"Yes, well, I was wondering if you could send me your findings on the Origin Pokémon you have been doing research on."

Cynthia smiled and was genuinely excited.

"I'd love to, Roxanne! Why? Doing a class on them?"

"I was thinking about it but first I wanted to review the material. This is also out of personal interest. A friend of mine has converted to Arceuism and I wanted to check between the materials."

Lucario felt relieved as the warmth of Cynthia's happiness washed over him.

"Of course, of course! I'll send them as soon as I can – through the proper encryption channels of course."

"Thanks, Cynthia, I really appreciate this."

"It's really no problem Roxanne."

"Alright, well, I'll be sure to call you with my own opinions when I have read through them."

"Alright, bye Roxanne."

"Good bye, Miss."

Cynthia hung up and walked to her library. Amongst the vast collection of books, she found her personal computer that she used for research, and opened all her available documents on the "Origin" Pokémon. She sent the files to Roxanne in Rustboro and leaned back in her wooden chair satisfied.

"_Do you rememb-"_

Cynthia shook and spun around in her chair.

"Harbinger, don't do that to me!"

"– _er how when we first encountered you,"_ it went on, ignoring Cynthia's reply,_ "we told you that we would stay with you only because we were bored and wanted the excitement your life would bring ours, and that one day, you would bring us into events that'd define a portion of the purpose of our existence? Do you remember that, child?"_

Regaining her composure, Cynthia straightened in her chair and nodded.

"Yes, I do. That's when you said you were taking the name 'Harbinger'."

The Spiritomb named "Harbinger" cackled and its disk spun faster and wider.

"_We are now adopting the title 'Oculi'. Do not disappoint us."_

"Wait," Cynthia said, "I asked you back then if you could see the future. You never answered. Does this mean that you can?"

"_Oh, come now. Delusions of man brought about by his fear of our abilities. No. We cannot see the future. Only know or sometimes anticipate it. Never can we understand or 'see' it. We don't know what the events are. We don't know what your roles in them are. Only that you will bring us to them. . ."_

The ghost turned its spiral and pedestal and began floating towards the library's exit before it paused.

"_. . . or them to us."_

The Pokémon cackled once more and floated out of the library, leaving Cynthia in silence.

She grabbed the phone and dialed Wallace's' number.

[DIVIDERS]

[DIVIDERS]

[DIVIDERS]


	5. Pain

There were four tiers to the Elite Councils dealing with terrorist and gang threats around the Pokémon world. In tier four, a single or small group of "Rangers", the Elite Councils personal military of Pokémon Trainers, would, in numbers from one to four, investigate and act upon a particular threat. Most of the time, this was smuggling and illegal excavation of ancient sites for potential Tier One threats (I.E, Ancient artifacts that could shatter time and space or some sort of god-like power). Tier Three called for teams of up to fifteen Rangers to investigate potential gang or terrorist threats. Unlike Tier Four, Tier three response teams were not limited to the Elite Councils rules of engagement; therefore, they could act independently and take matters into their own hands, but within established legal limitations. No one was above the law.

Tier Two called for Gym Leader intervention, that is, if this wasn't already something a local gym leader was assisting with. Normally a Gym Leader with expertise relevant to the situation was called, though sometimes it was simply a matter of who was available in the region, or local area.

Tier One threats called for the Elite Four of that local region to get involved. This was often however supplemented by the Champion of the involved region becoming involved, as most of the time trainers challenged the Elite Four they never reached the Champion, so, no battles would have to be rescheduled.

[-|-]

Heist

{vv}

Ally was watching her favorite drama on the Hoenn Movie Network, quietly slurping on a soda and shoving handfuls of cheesy snacks into her mouth. Dave, who was grabbing something from the refrigerator in the kitchen behind the "living room" could not help but look over at her with a hint of disdain.

"Ally, you know, Miller should be back soon. I haven't seen you do anything in a few days. . ."

Ally snorted and rolled her eyes while continuing to watch the television.

"Look, Limey, you're the one who went to do my job-"

"Because you had no idea what you were doin'!"

"And! I got the fuckin' groceries this week even though it was your turn."

"We're not gonna even be here in a day. It coulda waited. . ."

Ally paused the television program and stood to face Dave. He looked back at the refrigerator when he noticed that once again she was not wearing pants.

"Why are you complaining so much, huh? You finished your sculpture, and got the gear we need, which isn't even really much. Miller gets back hopefully today or tomorrow. I don't get why you're being such a titty-baby."

Dave slammed the refrigerator door and sighed, cracking open a cold soda.

"Oi, I didn't ask for your opinion on me. I just made it clear you've done nothing to help. Not even quite sure why you're here."

Ally snorted and swallowed the rest of her soda, throwing the can at Dave.

"You don't even really know me, anyway. I'm not surprised. No one in this region knows me. That's good, I guess, but don't worry. Miller's a good friend of mine and I'm only here as a just in case, buddy. If we're lucky your ungrateful ass won't even need me."

Dave silently drank from his soda before leering at Ally.

"So what is it you _do_? Eat, sleep, masturbate and use the bathroom? Not sure why Miller thinks we'll need you."

Ally laughed and flipped up her middle finger at Dave; "My skill set is only valid if shit hits the fan, Blaziken-bite."

"Well I bloody hope you don't cause that to happen just to 'validate' your skill set."

Ally laughed again and spat on the floor before jumping back onto the couch and playing the movie again.

Dave stared at the screen, as a Magma-grunt in the drama was making a big deal about how he'd do whatever it took to survive.

Dave agreed.

**Rustboro City Gym, Rustboro City**

**Hoenn**

Miller was sitting at Roxanne's computer looking over Cynthia's findings regarding the Azure Flute. It was obvious that Cynthia had poured a lot of time into these documents and findings. He couldn't help noticing many redacted notes that required passwords to view. They were there, just behind a shield. Miller was half tempted to try and break them but he didn't have the first clue about how that kind of things was done, so he decided against it.

He leaned back in the wheel chair and sighed, not really for any reason, but just to fill the air with some kind of noise other than the hum of the computers drivers. Miller was in the office portion of Roxanne's quarters in the gym. Her room was beyond a blank red door. He refused to sleep in the same room as her, the last few nights, claiming he'd rather review Cynthia's updated data, and rest between research periods. While this disappointed Roxanne, and annoyed her regarding the information's use, she accepted it and would hug him before going to bed. Miller had one more day before the birthday at Carlow's mansion.

He looked about her office, as he done the previous few nights. There was nothing substantially new about it, other than a few scattered books he had brought in his bag.

He spun around once in the chair.

He did so again, the opposite direction.

Nothing had changed.

Again, he sighed, but this time in a verbal protest to the monotony of waiting.

Suddenly, he felt a sudden urge to go do something he thought he should before he left. Something he had not considered doing before, but now felt like he should as he had not done it in a long time.

He left a note on Rox's computer incase she woke up and he was not there, and grabbed a jacket from his bag. He zipped it up and left.

When he left the gym, he felt the cold midnight air lick his face tenderly with a soft breeze. Miller closed his eyes, breathing slowly, feeling the wind wrap around him and his body. He waited a few minutes before finally moving his legs and walking down Rustboro's main street. He passed a few random people, most night shift workers on their way to or from work. He'd offer each of them a brief smile and nod and they'd normally return it and continued on their way.

He walked for roughly an hour and a half until he was at the end of the Rustboro city limits, reaching Route One hundred Sixteen. He marched through the long green shrubbery, avoiding sleeping Pokémon, until he found himself standing before a tall cast-iron gate. It had tall points that made up its entirety and looked quite foreboding in the shine of the moon. He took a few steps forward, gulped, and pushed the gate open.

Despite what he expected from novels and movies he'd watched, the gate did not creek much or all that loudly as he entered the cemetery. There was not much of a spooky feel to the place of resting. It was very well kept and it seemed that Pokémon rarely, if at all, expressed interest in venturing beyond the iron and stone border that encircled it.

Miller walked to a small triangular corkboard near the closed cemetery offices. There was a small plastic shelf that held numerous cemetery layout packets the detailed where certain people were buried.

He picked one off and strode into the darkness.

When he arrived at the specific grave he was looking for, he made sure to straighten his jacket and posture before coming closer to it. He flipped out his Poké'nav and shone its screen light onto the tombstone.

**Delilah H. Miller**

**Wife, Mother, Scientist**

"**I'll always love my family more than anything any kind of god could create."**

Miller couldn't help but giggle at reading the message. His mother always hated those who believe a Pokémon created and controlled fate and therefore, the universe. It's where he had likely gotten his stubborn attitude from.

Miller sat down on his knees and bowed to the grave.

"Mom . . . I know you can't hear me. I know you're dead. But I don't know what I should do here…and this feels right, somehow. . ."

Miller looked up at the tombstone as if he was expecting some kind of apparition to appear. He looked at the grass beneath his hands, where his mother's body lay beneath. He felt tears coming up to his eyes.

"I can't make things right, mom, but, I'm gonna make them better. I promise."

Miller clapped his hands together, and his eyelids shut, before standing back up and whipping his face. He felt somehow lighter, but not as if something had changed.

"_I haven't had a revelation. I haven't learned anything. I'm talking to a corpse."_

He turned to leave and saw a wild haired ghost before him.

Miller shouted, "Woah!", and stumbled back, tripping over his mother's grave, and crawling back. He immediately grabbed one of his Pokéballs and aimed it toward the creature that was coming closer.

"Wait, wait," the apparition exclaimed, holding up its arms in defense.

"I'm didn't mean to scare you!"

Miller panted and held up his Poké'nav. It was a boy, the one from the news report a few days ago.

He had flared up green hair and kind but wide blue eyes, which were in deep contrast to his ghostly white face.

"Sorry, let me help you!" The boy said as he came close to Miller extending a helpful hand.

"Kid, that wasn't really smart . . ." Miller said, standing back up, dusting off his jacket and placing the Pokéball back on his belt, ignoring the hand being extended to him.

The boy looked sorry, and slowly brought his hand back, standing straighter to try and match Millers height, his kind smile coming back as he tried to look condescending, despite the fact his lover face was covered by a tan mask.

"I heard you, I mean, saying you can't make things right but better . . . I kinda just told my mom the same thing too. Not word for word but. . ." He trailed off noticing Millers strange look.

"I uh, loved my mom, and she was murdered," the green haired boy said, "I'm on a mission to avenge her."

Miller snorted, "Kid, I sympathize with you but, uhm, one sickly teenager in a respirator suit isn't exactly the world's best assassin."

The boy smiled and giggled softly, before taking a deep breath from his suits mask.

"Actually, I'm not trying to assassinate anyone. I'm taking on a gang, and it's easier to do that head on."

Millers smirk faded.

"You shouldn't bite off more than you can chew like that kid. Which team is it? Magma? Those guys' burn people alive to make a point."

The boy took an angry breath in his suit and closed his eyes, holding back tears.

"I wish it was Team Magma then. I'd kill their leader in a purely ironic execution. But no," he wheezed and took another deep drag of filtered air, "Mom was killed by Team Aqua. Do you remember the Rustboro Devon terrorist attack?"

Miller choked on his saliva and fought back the urge to change his face in even the slightest. He clenched his jaw, and fists shut, before whispering a timid, "Yeah . . ."

"Those Aqua . . . well, _bastards_, used attacks the broke a gas pipe under the building or something. It's what made the lobby explode and burned my mother to death. She was picking up my old suit . . . Devon made it for us, part of their charity program for sick kids . . ." the frail child trialed off once again, looking past his mother's murderer with tear filled eyes.

"They were nice enough to make a new suit for me every year, for when I grew . . . when I reached sixteen recently, I told my family and friends I was going to Verdanturf to live with some of my relatives like my mom wanted me too but . . . I'm going to avenge her death instead. I'm a man now, and, I think I can finally do this! I'm going to kill every single member of Team Aqua!"

Miller was horrified. He didn't show it, but he was. It wasn't that he was afraid of the kid in front of him, but that somebody wanted to find and kill him right after he'd just begun his start on a new life.

Miller shuddered, and then said, "Kid-"

"Wally Mitsuru," the boy interjected, happily introducing himself.

"Right, Wally, I understand how wrong you think Team Aqua is...and you're not wrong, of course, but...even together, we wouldn't be strong enough to do that. You know that. Don't throw your life away over this!"

The boy looked down at his feet, smiling, his adrenaline gone down.

"Yeah," he said sheepishly, "But still . . . I'm gonna do it. Starting with the . . . _bastard_ who killed my mother."

Miller nervously gulped, before regaining his composure, "Do you got any leads?"

Wally shook his head and smiled at his new friend.

"It isn't any of the people that have been brought to justice. The Hoenn Police record every Pokémon that are captured from gang members. No Arcanine's or Tropius' have come from a single Aqua Grunt. I gotta' find the one with those Pokémon. When I do, I'll have my Kirlia tear him apart with Psychic."

The boys' pleasure in the fantasies of his mothers' murderers' death frightened Miller even more. There was no way the child could know it was Miller, but it was still frightening.

Miller sighed and smiled weakly; "Well, I certainly wish you luck, but, I think you should go back home. . .or at least go sleep. It's late, kid."

It was then that Wally had noticed that the sky was becoming pink with color, the sun beginning to rise.

"Oh! Oh man, I wasn't aware I'd been awake all night. . .don't own a watch. I better go, uhm, bye mister!"

The boy bowed before turning and running off, leaving Miller breathless.

Miller opened his lips a bit and began blowing slowly in a 'phhhhhh' noise before swearing aloud which made a man praying beside a nearby grave drop his hat and look up.

**Hoenn Champion Mansion, Ever Grande City**

**Hoenn**

The butler escorted Cynthia to a single oak door on the third floor of the mansion, just beside the two double doors to the master bedroom.

"Master Wallace's study is through here. Should you require anything else, ma'am?"

Cynthia moved some hair out of her face, over behind her ear and turned to smile politely at the kind man while placing a hand on her Lucarios' head.

"No, that won't be necessary, thank you."

The butler bowed and calmly strode down the staircase, leaving Cynthia alone.

She knocked calmly on the oak door.

A slightly annoyed sounding, but authoritative tone replied; "Yes, you may come in."

Cynthia opened the door and walked inside, letting Lucario follow behind her and shut the door for her.

Wallace was at a small wooden desk on a leather chair, leaning over a large tome. To the side of it was a computer monitor, displaying three ancient drawings of a few legendary Pokémon – Dialga, Palkia, and Arceus.

"Wallace?"

He abruptly looked over his shoulder and smiled, taking off his reading glasses.

"Hey there, Cynthia! Didn't think you'd get here so soon."

"Oh please, I wanted to come sooner but I had a scheduled battle."

"Oh, were you victorious?"

"No, surprisingly. His name was Lucas. He came dressed like a bit of a dork, but, he overwhelmed me. We offered an invitation for him to join the Rangers. He accepted. Loved the uniform."

Cynthia crossed the room to a small wodden chair beside Wallace, sitting down and crossing her legs.

Wallace's smile shrunk.

"So, did you bring him?"

"Yeah, I did."

Cynthia reached into her black coat and removed from it an Ultra Ball. She tossed it in the air and it burst open, causing a bolt of white lightning to appear, arcing down before her and forming a small but heavy looking charcoal toned obelisk. Lucario's fur stood up as he leaned against the wall. He could already sense the demonic aura that the obelisk carried within.

Cynthia noticed Lucario's change in stance and slight bearing of his teeth. She ignored it, but was hesitant.

"You in there?" she asked, quietly but authoritatively.

Suddenly, a small purple dot appeared in the slight slant of the obelisk, covering a portion of a strange face like indentation on it. Slowly, the purple glow began expanding, streaks of green light appearing on it as it grew.

Through Lucario's eyes, the world was growing darker.

It finally expanded out into a large spinning disk with a green face that formed a wicked smile. A single black swirl appeared in one of the 'eyes' and moved between them, looking at Cynthia and Wallace.

They felt a consciousness, a sickening wet-warm feel as if water had been dumped on the back of their heads. Wallace began shifting in his chair, trying to fight it, any way he could, but relaxed as Cynthia, who was wincing from it herself, nodded for him to relax.

"_We have no gender. We have no set name. We are Oculi," _The consciousness 'said' to them.

Wallace leaned forward to face the spinning disk.

"The timing of what you told Cynthia was very unsettling. What do you know about Gym Leader Roxanne and her intent with that information?"

The consciousness cackled.

"_You are foolish. You waste time with talk, no thought what so ever. We are not so foolish. We think, then talk."_

Wallace stayed firm, "You didn't answer my question."

"_We did not imply that we would."_

"Will you tell us anything?"

"_Finally a specific question that would have saved us so much time. We have argued for more than a day with _her_ about her tedious questioning."_

Wallace made an annoyed look. "You still didn't answer the question."

"_So impatient. We're tempted to simply say we did, and imply that we will answer nothing, but you are stubborn and foolish, elegant as your dress is. How misleading, that it in no way represents your thinking . . . though, those of self assigned nobility commonly have no thought process to spea-"_

Wallace slammed a fist on the table beside him.

"Talk about something that's relevant, damnit!"

Cynthia leaned over and rested a hand on his shoulder, "Wallace, leave him alone. He does this."

"_We have no gender," _the Spiritomb thought, _"We we do do 'this'."_

Cynthia looked at Oculi disdainfully and pleaded; "Will you please tell us something relevant to Roxanne and the data she requested? Why you said those things after she requested it?

The eye of the Spiritomb glanced at Wallace and its expression was unreadable, for an instant.

"_Fine. Even as thick headed as this one is, he'd have enough sense to go directly to the one called 'Roxanne' should I not say what I will. That being, don't see her. See instead the one known Carlow."_

Wallace stood up, clenching a fist and smiling in triumph.

"Cynthia, Tim Carlow is having a birthday the day after tomorrow, inviting men and women from all around the world!"

Cynthia looked at Oculi's wicked smile. She knew that was just how he sort of default-ly looked, but she could not help but feel like he was not being completely thorough in his response.

"Wallace, does Carlow have any interest in ancient Pokémon?"

Wallace frowned, disappointed for not receiving praise for his discovery before reaching another realization.

"Yes! Great Arceus, yes! He collects various ancient oddities, and items from old civilizations and from things relevant to ancient times . . .could Roxanne maybe be interested in what he is displaying at his gathering? I had heard him rumor that he would be unveiling something. . .perhaps he shared it with Roxanne already, because of her being a rock type gym lea-"

Oculi's cackling flooded the room. The sound made Cynthia shiver, though she was used to it. It made Wallace frown in frustration, and made Lucario glare at the center of the darkness for what it was doing to its master.

"_You, 'Wallace', will not be remembered as being very bright both in spirit and in mind."_

Wallace took a menacing step forward towards the disk of purple glow.

"I can have you destroyed."

"Wallace!" Cynthia cried, standing up as well and getting frustrated.

Again, Oculi's cackling filled the room.

"_We are to just observe, as of now, but, however, you are forcing our . . . will. Should we not speak, you will not act as you should. We speak only that you do not break what must occur."_

"Oh please," Wallace challenged angrily, "You can't even stop me from leaving this room. I can go talk to Roxanne about this. Hell, I could call her right now!"

The cursed spirit looked at Wallace, it's disk turning with the obelisk to fully 'face' him.

"_**You will be torn to nothing but a ragged mess of meat and a fur cape should you dare interfere,"**_ said a new voice, one that was deep and ecoing through their minds.

Lucario fell to the floor, overwhelmed by the sense of darkness.

Cynthia began to cry remembering a time she nearly feel to her death when visiting Spear Pillar.

Wallace could feel his fathers blows, fresh upon the skin of his face. He could see the man standing over him, holding him by the neck with one meaty hand and readying another blow to his face with the other. Wallace screamed as it came at him, a lightning fast speed before it simply vanished and he was once more in his study.

Cynthia and Wallace stood weak and barely able to support themselves. Tears streamed down their faces.

Wallace's mouth hung, gaped open, still letting out a silent scream.

Lucario lay unconscious.

Suddenly, Wallace went limp and fell over, Cynthia slumping down onto her chair – _the sensation of wind as she fell from the ledge, her tiny hand no longer being able to hold on._

A single charcoal tinged obelisk sat in the center of the room. On it, an inscription of a swirl not unlike a galaxy was cackling with a wicked, immobile smile.


End file.
